Kaspersky's Windows products have excellent malware-detection scores and a light-to-moderate system-performance impact, the two most important criteria in our rankings. Limited VPN usage -Microphone protection hard to enable The best antivirus software you can buy today Our free rankings immediately follow our paid rankings below. See our section on how to choose the best antivirus software below, or our stand-alone antivirus buying guide.įor the best free antivirus protection, we like Kaspersky Security Cloud Free, which sailed past Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition for the top spot.īoth offered excellent protection against malware without system slowdowns, but Kaspersky's free program lets you schedule scans, has a quick-scan option, adds a ton of useful extras and had the smallest system impact we've ever seen. Right behind that are the entry-level Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, which may be the best bargain in antivirus software, and Norton 360 Deluxe, which offers excellent protection and a ton of extra features, including unlimited VPN service and LifeLock identity protection.Īny of these three would serve you well, but the ideal choice depends on your circumstances. It delivers excellent malware protection, a full complement of extra features and an easy-to-use interface. Our first choice for best antivirus software is Kaspersky Total Security.